MadeSmart advertising and packaging copy with new brand tone. (courtesy of Jay Miller)

MadeSmart website screenshots. (courtesy of Jay Miller)

MadeSmart in-store endcap concepts. (courtesy of Jay Miller)

Client

MadeSmart Housewares

Project Title

MadeSmart Housewares Brand Refresh

Duration

September 14, 2009–October 12, 2010

Team

Imagehaus

Jay Miller, creative director

Mike Schacherer, creative director

Colleen Meyer, designer

Braden Wise, designer

Darcy Clemenson, copywriter

Stephanie Wetzell, project manager

Description

Ed. note: This case study is a selection from the
2011 “Making the Case”
competition, in which an esteemed jury
identified submissions that demonstrate the value of design in a clear,
compelling and accessible way. It serves as an example of how to explain design
thinking to clients, students, peers and the public in general, based on
specific metrics.

The objective was to create a new brand for a
well-established home storage-product company with a goal to be the
style and innovation leader for home storage and organization solutions.

During its first 20 years, MadeSmart primarily provided product
for private label. But as the economic environment changed, retailers
were not as interested in private label opportunities. However, the
years of providing product for licensing left the MadeSmart brand
without a voice of its own. Its existing branding was not
in line with what it was currently as a company and where it wanted
to go in the future.

MadeSmart produces a collection of products for the home that work as well
as they look—helping millions of people get their lives in order, in
style. Their products make it fun and easy to organize your life and put
everything in its place.

The target audience of MadeSmart is defined by the company as the “Modern MadeSmart Woman.” She is described as follows:

She’s always on-the-go with kids, work, sports, vacations and life. Her home—often referred to as Grand Central Station—is her domain, and she takes great pride in keeping it under control and in style. She’s a savvy shopper and gets into “the hunt.” She knows what she wants and needs, but sometimes not until she sees it. Her friends are always asking her, “Where did you get that?” She has an eye for discovering high-end products that are designed well, yet priced right. From Nordstrom to Costco, Ann Taylor to Target, she seeks both style and value, always finding the perfect mix to make her feel smart and satisfied. Having order in her crazy-busy, on-the-go life is a basic need. It keeps her balanced and sane. The act of putting everything in its place is therapeutic for her. It’s
rewarding, fulfilling and brings her a sense of peace—and control.

In the home storage/organization market, MadeSmart’s main competitors are:

OXO

Rubbermaid

Umbra

InterDesign

Sterlite

Budget

$57,550

Research

Our main source of research and information comes directly from our clients. They know their business better that we can ever hope to learn during the duration of a project. During our brand DNA process we are able to gather all information necessary to create an effective and beautiful solution. Our DNA process began with performing a discovery meeting with MadeSmart to define the distinctive differences that sets them apart from the competition in their industry. We accomplish this through a series of analogies and questions that helped us to define the essence of the brand tone, voice and personality.

Challenges

After performing the brand audit, it was clear that the current brand tone, including logo, was not in line with the direction the company was going. Our biggest challenge was to get the owner to acknowledge this and to step away from the current logo that was created by her father 25 years ago. Sometimes the emotional connection to the past is hard to let go.

By performing the brand audit and laying out the DNA and seeing the list of words that described the personality of the brand, it was clear to the owner that the values and goals of the company were no longer being represented in current logo. From this, we received the green light to redesign not just the packaging for the product but to redesign and message the entire brand: the business system, advertising, direct-mail campaign, website, packaging, in-store POS signage and fixtures.

Strategy

After reviewing the words from the DNA and the imageboard, it was clear that the existing logo no longer reflected the creative strategy. We went through a brand exploration to find a new mark that better represented the updated focus and aspirational feel of the brand. By defining the brand’s distinctive differences from the competition and then juxtaposing these differences with the desired responses from the defined audience, we were able to come up with the brand’s central message that spoke to both the form and function of the brand. Organize with style.

We also helped bring the new brand to packaging and direct mail. With the new MadeSmart brand tone, humor and wit were infused into the messaging, helping take the chore out of personal organization while reflecting the new direction of the brand in a simple and updated way. The tongue-in-cheek approach to the messaging helped to create an emotional connection to what could be an unemotional purchase of a utility item.

Effectiveness

While we are very happy with the outcome of this project, we believe the best measure of the effectiveness of a project is through positive feedback from our clients. Below is the feedback that we have received from MadeSmart regarding their brand refresh.

Quotes from client:

The redesign of the MadeSmart brand and identity has had a large positive financial impact on our business. The old branding and packaging required photo shoots and thus continuous updating. Additionally, the old design was 6-color printing. The new ?design has replaced the photos with informative yet fun copy and is only 2-color printing. This new design has saved MadeSmart 26%, or $50,000, in printing costs annually and photo shoot expenses.

The new brand refreshed not only our products look on the shelf at national retailers but it also improved our overall presence as a company, strengthening our position against our large competitors like Rubbermaid and Sterilite. Our products are just as good as OXO and the others in our category and the new branding created an improved image that allows us to level the playing field. And the retailers have been generous with anecdotal feedback regarding how they love our new identity. It puts a smile on their face, reinforcing the power of making an emotional connection.

Since our rebranding process, we have also been featured in the local press. Our owner, Devee Joy, was interviewed on TV during the 2010 Maiden Minnesota event. Devee and MadeSmart were also nominated and won a small-business award from Twin Cities Business.

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External Resources

Fab Founder On 5 Ways To Navigate Design Politics | Co.Design
Once upon a time I worked with a design team. Actually, that’s not true. I’ve worked with a myriad of design teams during my career. Over and over. And merchant teams. And editorial teams. And there is this thing that always exists. Contempt. Contempt for others who don’t understand design. Or trend. Or editorial voice. (I have a design degree. I feel your pain. But get over yourself. Really.)
www.fastcodesign…

Cheat sheet: Understanding the role of design in startups | Google Ventures
We are entering a golden era of software product design. Advances in software engineering allow us to create new products faster than ever, so we rely on design to differentiate products and make them useful, understandable, and desirable. But what is design?
www.gv.com/lib/c…

How Apple Went from Underdog to Cult in Six Design and Innovation Strategies from the Early Days | Brain Pickings
In 1982, Apple hired German-American industrial designer and inventor Hartmut Esslinger to overhaul the company’s design strategy. He created the Snow White design language, which would come to define Apple, and turned the Silicon Valley underdog not only into a global force of design and innovation, but also into a singular culture—an aesthetic cult, even.
www.brainpicking…

5 Tips to Getting Hired by Design | Design Thinking
Design thinking doesn’t just apply to creating memorable products, services, or experiences; it can also help you land a job you love. Some human-centered advice for job seekers trying to launch successful creative careers....
designthinking.i…

Featured Portfolio

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Use ‘design thinking’ to reach customers | Washingtonpost.com
For better than a decade, managers have been taught that focusing on the customer provides a sure path to success. But what do you do when you hit a plateau, chasing ever smaller niches with ever expanding offerings that yield less and less?
www.washingtonpo…

Why Motivating Others Starts With Using The Right Language | 99U
The team members gathered for their weekly standup at the New York-based technology startup. There had been misconnects the previous week with the email marketing team and the design team resulting in an inconsistent message that didn’t showcase some of the best offers the group had worked to secure. “They just had a different agenda than we did,” said one team member.
99u.com/articles…

This is How Facebook Decides Who to Hire
For a designer trying to break into the tech industry, working at Facebook may be a dream come true. Julie Zhuo, director of product design at Facebook, revealed how the company hand-picks its team of designers.
www.businessinsi…

Letter to a Junior Designer: An A List Apart Column
I admit it: you intimidate me. Your work is vivid and imaginative, far superior to my woeful scratchings at a similar age. The things I struggle to learn barely make you sweat. One day, you’ll be a better designer than me.
alistapart.com/c…